Berger Low Stool

A pioneer of modernism in France, Charlotte Perriand was one of the most influential figures in 20th-century design and architecture. In her long career, Perriand’s aesthetic grammar constantly evolved, moving from the tubular steel furniture of the Machine Age to a lyrical naturalism that is reflected in her enduring designs for chairs, sconces, daybeds and other works.

Perriand’s studies at the Ecole de L'Union Centrale de Arts Decoratifs left her enthralled by Charles-Édouard "Le Corbusier" Jeanneret and his vision of a new, rational architecture. In 1924, she joined his studio to design furniture along with Pierre Jeanneret, Corbu’s partner and cousin.

Together, they devised some of the finest examples of early modernist furniture, including two icons of the era: the B306 chaise — later renamed the LC4 —  with its swooping frame and hide upholstery; and the chunky, steel-framed Grand Confort club chair. Both pieces were part of the LC line, which saw the trio of designers carrying out bold experiments with tubular chromed steel, just as architect and Bauhaus faculty member Marcel Breuer had executed with his cantilever Cesca chair around the same time. (Furniture created by Perriand, Le Corbusier and Pierre Jeanneret was originally produced by Austrian manufacturer Thonet but Italian firm Cassina acquired the production and sales rights to their works in 1964.) 

Collaborative design produced another Perriand triumph: in the early 1950s, she and Jean Prouvé were engaged to produce desks, worktables and bookcases for the University of Paris. The bookcases — slim pine shelves with brightly painted aluminum dividers — are minimalist mid-century masterpieces.

By the end of that decade, Perriand’s aesthetic had changed completely from the earliest days of her career. She produced a series of furniture in ebonized wood: chairs with gentle S-curve legs, front and back; tables with elliptical tops. In the 1960s, Perriand pushed the boundaries of prefab to produce high-quality housing and furnishings at low cost for the French ski resort Les Arcs. She also adopted an almost rustic look at the time, designing simple chairs with dowel-cut frames and rush seats. 

Everything in Perriand’s oeuvre is beautiful, whether it’s the centerpiece of a décor or an accent, and her work is in every great design collection, public and private.

The vintage Charlotte Perriand furniture for sale on 1stDibs includes stools, coffee tables, case pieces, lighting and more.

Stools are versatile and a necessary addition to any living room, kitchen area or elsewhere in your home. A sofa or reliable lounge chair might nab all the credit, comfort-wise, but don’t discount the roles that good antique, new and vintage stools can play.

“Stools are jewels and statements in a space, and they can also be investment pieces,” says New York City designer Amy Lau, who adds that these seats provide an excellent choice for setting an interior’s general tone. 

Stools, which are among the oldest forms of wooden furnishings, may also serve as decorative pieces, even if we’re talking about a stool that is far less sculptural than the gracefully curving molded plywood shells that make up Sōri Yanagi’s provocative Butterfly stool. 

Fawn Galli, a New York interior designer, uses her stools in the same way you would use a throw pillow. “I normally buy several styles and move them around the home where needed,” she says.

Stools are smaller pieces of seating as compared to armchairs or dining chairs and can add depth as well as functionality to a space that you’ve set aside for entertaining. For a splash of color, consider the Stool 60, a pioneering work of bentwood by Finnish architect and furniture maker Alvar Aalto. It’s manufactured by Artek and comes in a variety of colored seats and finishes.

Barstools that date back to the 1970s are now more ubiquitous in kitchens. Vintage barstools have seen renewed interest, be they a meld of chrome and leather or transparent plastic, such as the Lucite and stainless-steel counter stool variety from Indiana-born furniture designer Charles Hollis Jones, who is renowned for his acrylic works. A cluster of barstools — perhaps a set of four brushed-aluminum counter stools by Emeco or Tubby Tube stools by Faye Toogood — can encourage merriment in the kitchen. If you’ve got the room for family and friends to congregate and enjoy cocktails where the cooking is done, consider matching your stools with a tall table.

Whether you need counter stools, drafting stools or another kind, explore an extensive range of antique, new and vintage stools on 1stDibs.